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Applying Wylie's Cumulative and Sequential Patterns to Air OperationsPeter Layton

The main theme of the 2026 Air and Space Power Conference was “building fighting depth” and the Aviator Symposium was “the airminded warfighter.” However, a question that came up repeatedly during the event was “what success actually looks like”? Instead of asking what success looks like now, ask what it would look like decades from now if these ideas had truly taken hold.

Strategist Joseph Caldwell Wylie argued that strategies were implemented through two general types of operational patterns: (1) cumulative warfare, which involves “a collection of lesser actions” where tactical actions gradually built up to have strategic impact; and (2) sequential warfare, which is “a series of discrete steps” where each lead to the next; an example being the island hopping campaign across the Pacific during World War Two.

Limited by resources and size the F-35 was the best, and largely only, option available to the ADF that guaranteed long term defense interests.

The Background

Unlike defensive air operations which are reactive, offensive air operations are undertaken where and when an air force chooses.

Welcome once again back on the rollercoaster!

Is The RAAF Seeking Combat Effectiveness

Daniel Cook
Australian Defence Force